COLUMBIA, S.C. – Nikki Haley was supposed to give Mitt Romney strength going into the South Carolina primary. Instead, she exposed some of her own weaknesses.

Romney’s decisive defeat Saturday immediately got dropped in part at the feet of the South Carolina governor, who provided him a high-profile endorsement — though a controversial one among the local tea party forces who propelled her into office in 2010. But in this first test both of translating her appeal and playing on the national stage, she flopped.

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Wesley Donehue, a South Carolina GOP strategist who had worked for Michele Bachmann, said the lesson is that Haley reached for too much too quickly.

“Nikki Haley has great potential but she’s not there yet,” Donehue said. “She doesn’t have the stature to have a lot of pull. Right now she’s a brand-new governor that hasn’t proven herself yet. She needs to go be the most conservative governor in the United States of America, just like Jim DeMint is the most conservative senator. If she wants to be the conservative rock star, that’s what she has to do.”

She may have even hurt Romney’s case in the state — there’s a sense that a handful of state legislators who would have backed Romney but refused to out of principle, simply because they hate Haley so much, and mock her for moves like requiring state employees to answer their telephones, “It’s a great day in South Carolina!”

Romney’s state campaign chairman, State Treasurer Curtis Loftis — a political rival of Haley, despite both backing the same presidential candidate — couldn’t resist taking shots at Haley. Less than an hour before the state’s polls closed, Loftis couched his criticisms of Newt Gingrich in terms that sound surprisingly like the way other local operatives describe Haley.

“Since I’ve gone into government, I’ve seen that there’s almost no correlation between great speeches with lots of red meat and the ability of people to govern,” said Loftis, who, like Haley, was first elected to statewide office in 2010.

Asked if Haley helped or hurt Romney in South Carolina, Loftis replied: “I made a promise to myself to stay out of that.”

He declined to elaborate.

Haley was working the hustings for Romney all week, but on the last day, not in the way he wanted. Introducing him at his Greenville campaign headquarters Saturday morning, she veered into talking about the sore point of releasing his tax returns.

And though it’s her job as a surrogate to express full-blast optimism, Haley appeared to demonstrate a fundamental misreading of her state’s voters as recently even as people were heading to the polls. While Romney’s campaign was trying to lower expectations all day, Haley responded by cranking them up.

“Tonight is going to be a great night. We’re going to celebrate,” she said Saturday morning, predicting, “we are expecting today to be a great day. Everything is showing that it’s going to be what South Carolina primaries are, which is close. I love that.”

Pressed afterward, she insisted that the reports of South Carolina slipping away from Romney were wrong.

“No, no, no, don’t be fooled,” she said. “I absolutely think we’re going to have a great night tonight.”

Results show a nearly 14-point spread between Gingrich and Romney.

Haley’s office did not immediately respond to requests for comment Saturday night.

But the verdict on Haley came in with the Romney results.

“It’s a little embarrassing, and it shows that endorsements don’t matter,” Donehue said. “Her endorsement was a nothing burger.”

Still, Romney took time out from his concession speech to acknowledge “your governor, Gov. Nikki Haley, I owe her so very much for her help.”

But Haley wasn’t there to be recognized. She wasn’t didn’t show for the speech, or the party.

Haley forgot who brought her to the dance, The TEA Party, and endorsed Mr. Moderate, Mr. Phoney Romney. I think the media and everyone forgets who makes up the TEA Party. It's the silent majority that decided not to be so silent anymore. The average taxpaying citizen that does not want to stand by and watch the career politicians and their crony capitalism destroy our our great nation. The people that do what you're supposed to do, be self reliant, that has decided not to stand by and listen to yellow journalism from the hijacked left wing media with their progressive socialist agenda. Haley should have backed Ron Paul.

Namrata Haley is a total airhead, always seaking media attention and least bit interested in governing. Her ethics is poor and has had numerous affairs.

Queen Diva has increased has doubled her expenses account and increased her staff's pay. She loves travelling by private jet and loves big parties. While South Carolina faces 10 % unemployment and the worst school achievement.

If conservatives cared about the federal budget, the red states would pay their taxes and get off the national teat. Can you imagine, listening to these southerners is like having your kids instruct you on how to run the household finances. Unbelievable.

politico, your comment section suks. If imitation is the sincerest form of flattery, you guys should show the huffpost and facebook some love.

Reminds me of Bobby Jindal's response to the State of the Union a couple of years ago. There was all this hype about this conservative governor who was the answer to conservatives' dreams, AND he was of Middle-Eastern descent. Then he came out and couldn't speak forcefully at all and looked like a Komodo dragon creeping out to the dais.

BTW, this article is terribly edited - what the heck does that last sentence even say?

The "guts to declare herself?" Lol. She "declared herself" thinking Willard would get the White House and she'd become a cabinet secretary, so the GOP could throw a bone to women in minorities. See Cold War expert cu nty Rice.

The GOP is systematically imploding one section at a time. First the House GOP, then the Senate Great White Nopes, now the toothless Tealiban.

I'm anticipating full blown GOP civil war directly after the Sacrificial Lamb of 2012 has been chosen. If Romney goes through, 75% of Republicans will be sucking on lemons while at best, 30% holds their noses and votes for him anyway AND STILL LOSE BIG to Obama.